I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of giving directions every time I ask“How can I get to the post office?”
In Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions because most streets don’t have names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight ahead and turn left at the hotel. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are no towns or buildings in many places.Instead oflandmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California have no idea of distance. They measure (测量) distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask, “Oh,” they answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.”
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I don’t know.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, “I don’t know.” People believe in that “I don’t know.” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
【小题1】Why do Japanese people use landmarks in their directions?| A．Because they have no ideas of distance. | B．Because there are no towns or buildings. |
| C．Because most of the streets have no names. | D．Because people don’t know the answer. |
| A．排除 | B．代替 | C．包括 | D．使用 |
| A．People there usually say ,“Sorry, I don’t know the way.” |
| B．Local people often give a right answer. |
| C．People there have no idea of distance. |
| D．Visitors may lose their way. |
| A．“Turn left at the traffic lights and you will see a school.” |
| B．“It will take one day and a half.” |
| C．“Turn south and then walk 300 meters.” |
| D．“Go along Autumn Street and turn right at the crossing.” |
| A．Asking the Way in Different Places | B．Getting Lost in Yucatan |
| C．Travelling in Different Places | D．Where is the Post Office? |
